Be careful what you wish for.
There’s a large school about half a mile down the road from where we live. Many of the young people walk past our house twice a day between the establishment and their homes. In both directions they pass small corner shops. At these shops they purchase the essentials for a young person’s well being: crisps, energy drinks, sausage rolls, cakes and packets of biscuits. That type of thing.
At about the point they reach our house they have usually consumed the item and are desperate to dispose of the wrapping. Following the tradition of young people throughout the ages they drop the unwanted packaging on the floor. Who wants to carry that around.
So every day the rubbish gets picked up by one of the residents of my area, sometimes me. Galling, certainly. But otherwise we are in a quiet area.…so no big deal really.
After a number of complaints to the school and the Council about the rubbish a litter bin was installed in strategic spot where all those using it would risk getting run over by the school run parents. But the intentions were good.
The outcomes are not that great to be candid. Firstly the young people studiously avoid using the bin. Secondly the hordes of dog walkers on their way back from some nearby woods swinging little bags of poo in their hands deposit them in the bin rather than take them home. Thirdly the bin is regarded by people who are slightly too law abiding to be “full on ” fly tippers as a reasonable and responsible place to leave bags of rubbish. “After all” they think “the council will collect these bags when they empty the bin”
So. We locals have gone from collecting the odd crisp packet to a situation where we stll collect the crisp packets but have the nuisance of a smelly overflowing rubbish bin and stacked bags of waste on the corner of the street.
Solutions are elusive. For sure.`